Isaac Asimov presents the best science fiction of the 19th century cover

Isaac Asimov presents the best science fiction of the 19th century

by Isaac Asimov

Introduction: The First Century of Science Fiction - essay by Isaac Asimov The Sandman - novelette by E. T. A. Hoffmann (trans. of Der Sandmann 1816) The Mortal Immortal - short story by Mary Shelley A Descent Into the Maelstrom - short story by Edgar Allan Poe (variant of A Descent Into the Maelström) Rappaccini's Daughter - novelette by Nathaniel Hawthorne The Clock That Went Backwards - short story by Edward Page Mitchell Into the Sun - short story by Robert Duncan Milne A Tale of Negative Gravity - novelette by Frank R. Stockton The Horla, or Modern Ghosts - novelette by Guy de Maupassant (trans. of Le Horla 1887) The Shapes - novelette by J. H. Rosny aîné (trans. of Les Xipéhuz) To Whom This May Come - short story by Edward Bellamy The Great Keinplatz Experiment - short story by Arthur Conan Doyle In the Abyss - short story by H. G. Wells The Thames Valley Catastrophe - short story by Grant Allen The Lizard - short story by C. J. Cutcliffe Hyne A Thousand Deaths - short story by Jack London

More by Isaac Asimov

Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?